The Children of Tomorrow
by Starblaze and Solaris
Summary: Harry knows a song and sings it mournfully as a child - but what does it mean to him later in life, when he looks back and remembers the past?


StarblazeAndSolaris SAS SolStar

**Sol: Again, I apologise. I was bored, so this was the rather plotless result...**

**Star: You, my friend, are an idiot. A self-humiliating moron. Remind me where you found this song?**

**Sol: Um... You know I can't quite remember right now...**

**Star: Sure you can. Spill the beans.**

**Sol: Fine... Our nursery school teacher wrote it for me to sing. All except the very last verse at the bottom. Happy now?**

**Star: Not quite. To whom, exactly, did you have to sing this?**

**Sol: I hate you... I had to sing to the fish. The wooden carving of a fish at the back of the hall, over the parents' heads. Now can I go and hide my face for all eternity?**

**Star: If you insist. But not for all eternity: you have biology homework due in tomorrow.**

**Disclaimer: The world of Harry Potter is not ours, and the lyrics for this tune came from a nursery school teacher. Thank you to JKR and Manju.**

**The Children of Tomorrow.**

_We are the children,_

_Of tomorrow,_

_It's up to us,_

_To find, a better way._

_We are the children,_

_Of tomorrow,_

_We won't let a thing,_

_Stand in, our way._

_Together we can make a difference,_

_Together we can make a start,_

_So put your hand in my hand,_

_This song comes straight from the heart._

_Nothing can stand between us,_

_United we are strong,_

_With you my friend beside me,_

_I know where I belong._

_We are the children,_

_Of tomorrow,_

_It's up to us,_

_To find, a better way._

_We are the children,_

_Of tomorrow,_

_We won't let a thing,_

_Stand in, our way._

Harry closed his mouth as the final, sweet note echoed around his cupboard. His babyish soprano was clear as a bell, but quiet, unheard outside the dusky, confined space. A spider dropped from the ceiling on a thread before bouncing up. He smiled widely, taking it as a comedian takes laughter or an actor takes applause. His small frame shuddered slightly with his giggles, which quickly faded as he heard the sharp slaps of his aunt's slippers on the tiles outside.

"Up! Now! I want the table laid, the washing up done, the beds made and the lounge hoovered! Now!"

He sighed, heaving his scrawny body from the thin mattress and pulling off the large, slack t-shirt before dressing in his usual trousers and t-shirt. He pushed the door to his cupboard open and traipsed into the kitchen, where he got to work. Years from then, he would recollect the song and apply it slightly differently.

_Together we can make a difference,_

"STUPEFY!" The cry came from three voices, three children acting instinctively in a moment, and light flared from three wands. The three feeble bolts of light coalesced into one, and the one, powerful spell threw Snape off his feet and slammed him hard into the damaged wall of the shack. Ron wavered on his broken leg, and his friends hurried to support him, even as they remained wary of the two men left standing. A flicker of understanding passed between them all, a moment of gratitude for each other's help, without which no real difference could have been made.

_Together we can make a start,_

It was strange, Harry thought, to be giving orders, but not half as strange as having everybody follow them. The room exploded into action, and Harry watched each pair as they fought to disarm each other. Smith, Goldstein, Corner, Macmillan, Boot, the Creeveys, Finch-Fletchley, Edgecomb, Luna, Ginny, Neville, Cho, Fred, George; and others too numerous to mention. All these children, taking time out of their lives to learn to fight, and to fight for the right side - this, Harry thought, was surely where the war against darkness, (and beaurocracy,) started.

_This song comes straight from the heart._

The pheonix song echoed across the grounds, beautifully, hauntingly melancholy. Tears gathered in Harry's eyes as he listened, as he watched each person's reaction to the music which reached down through his bones and into his heart and soul. The sorrowful melody of Fawkes' heart nearly broke his own as he remembered Albus Dumbledore, and the others who had died too soon – Sirius, James and Lily, Cedric, and too many more.

_So put your hand in my hand,_

Lights and spells flashed past them, the cries of terrified wedding guests mingling with shouted charms and curses. Cloaked, masked figures appeared in the crowd, and Harry grabbed Hermione's hand to keep them together as they searched for their missing friend. Ron appeared out of the chaos, and Hermione grasped him in relief before apparating them out of there.

_Nothing can stand between us,_

"Hermione! HERMIONE!" Harry watched Ron beat his fists against the cellar wall, crying out her name over and over, ignoring the bruising he was sure to gain. Dobby arrived, helping the other prisoners from the cellar. Wormtail was sent down to check on the prisoners, who were shortly afterwards imprisoned no more. Ron ran up the stairs, through the doors, Harry a half-pace behind. Harry and Ron fought, so desperately, to get to their best friend. Finally, _finally, _they got to her, and managed to escape together. Not even a team of Death Eaters could stand between them.

_United we are strong,_

Harry cracked his eyes open just enough to see the open doorway filling with the colours of the Hogwarts houses and of allies' robes: the survivors of the battle of Hogwarts appeared, and he heard their cries for him to live. Voldemort silenced them, but they fought back, together, and broke the enchantments, once, twice, three times, strong enough when united to break even the most powerful charms and curses.

_With you my friend beside me,_

Harry could see teams of duellists fighting Voldemort and Bellatrix respectively. McGonagall, Slughorn and Kingsley were working together, teachers and auror side by side to destroy him. Ginny, Hermione and Luna fought Bellatrix, friend beside friend until finally, Molly Weasley finished it.

_I know where I belong._

Harry raised his hand in farewell, mimicing Ron, Hermione and Ginny, along with many other parents along Platform Nine and Three Quarters. Ginny's hand slipped into his and he wrapped an arm around Lily, flashing a smile to Ron and Hermione beside him. Here, surrounded by his closest friends and family, he felt at last that he belonged.

_We were the children,_

_Of yesterday,_

_It was up to us,_

_To make a better world,_

_We were the children,_

_Of yesterday,_

_We let not a thing,_

_Stand in, our way._

_**Finis**_


End file.
